PARLIAMENT is in a right old mess. Because Theresa May can’t guarantee winning any votes she is too scared to bring legislation to the House.
Day-to-day power in the Commons has shifted away from the chamber and out towards committees.
Select committees are groups of MPs who are elected by MPs and each committee has the power to scrutinise and challenge an area of policy for our country.
We can summon witnesses like a court can, we make formal recommendations to government on how to change policy, and we can investigate any issue out in wider society too.
I’ve been elected twice onto the select committee that scrutinises business, industrial strategy, and all aspects of energy production and consumption. It’s really hard work but I love it.
Each meeting lasts for three hours, we sometimes meet several times a week and we often do visits around the country or to other countries to listen and learn. It was our committee that brought Mike Ashley from Sports Direct to heel and made him accountable for the abuses happening within his company. As a result he converted 20,000 zero-hours contracts to permanent ones.
We also did a report into energy price rip-off and follow-up work that led to the energy price cap.
So even though it’s more low-key than standing up and having a go in the chamber, select committees are an amazing way to get things done.
Peter Kyle is the Labour MP for Hove and Portslade.
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